The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to utility networks and, more specifically, to systems and methods for use in designing a utility network.
At least some known utility networks are used to convey a utility, such as electricity or natural gas, from a source point to a demand point. Further, at least some known software enables a user to specify a utility network design for a geographic area, and some provide an option to start with a preconfigured design. Even with a preconfigured design, such software generally requires the user to manually define a path along which to convey the utility. For example, the user may be required to route the utility around obstructions within a particular geographic area. Moreover, the user may be required to determine and select equipment appropriate for conveying the utility along the manually defined path, which requires considerable knowledge and experience on the part of the user. The level of user involvement may add significant delay, cost, and inaccuracy to the utility network design process.